66 
THE CONDOR 
Vol. XI 
difficult matter, especially as they will abandon an uncompleted nest under very slight provoca- 
tion. Those containing young are, of course, comparatively easy to locate by watching the 
parents carrying food. Most of my “finds” of this species have been entirely accidental. 
The nest shown in the accompanying photograph was rather remarkably situated, and 
found as usual by accident. Altho these birds are naturally extremely retiring in their disposi- 
tion, this nest was inside the right of way of the railroad running thru the Rancho San Geroni- 
mo and only about twenty-five feet from the track over which four or five passenger and freight 
trains passed each way every day. We use a wire of the railroad fence for telephonic purposes, 
and in the spring, when the growth of vines is especially rampant, we have more or less trouble 
from the grounding of the current by the vines coming in contact with the wire. 
In the present instance, while driving along the county road parallel to the track, some three 
miles from headquarters, I noticed that some wild cucumber vines had clutched our wire in their 
disturbing embrace, and I jumped out of my buggy to remove them. This nest was on the farther 
side of the right of way, and it was in crossing from the track to the fence beyond that I flushed 
the parent by almost stepping on it. Quite a stream runs parallel with the railroad here, and 
some willows growing on its bank overhang the fence. The nest was placed near the ground in 
a low patch of wild blackberry vines under the edge of these willows. The instant the parent 
flushed I drew back and hid, waiting for her to return to the nest. She flew into the willows 
where she was soon joined by her mate, and their note — so much like the warning “twit” of the 
California Partridge — was repeated anxiously many times as they hopped about the neighboring 
trees before they were sufficiently reassured to return to the nest. Finally, however, the female 
edged toward her particular blackberry bush and all became qrriet. 
Except for the danger of having one's paraphernalia disturbed by the passing public this 
would have been an ideal place for a series of photographs as soon as the young were hatched, 
especially as the birds must have become used to more or less disturbance in such a noisy spot; 
but unfortunately my time was too much occupied to make the trial. The day after this discov- 
ery I brought my camera along with the result herewith submitted. It was necessary to cut 
away some of the vines on the camera side before the nest could be focussed, as it was practic- 
ally hidden from sight. 
It is more than possible that the noise of the passing trains had made this pair of birds 
bolder than the majority of their kind, as otherwise it is extremely improbable that they would 
have returned to their nest at all after the rude disturbance of a full grown man crashing thru 
their blackberry patch. The necessity of further disturbance from cutting away and disarranging 
the vines about the nest was too much for them, however, and the set was added to our collect- 
ion. It was taken May 7, 1908; No. 4000-5-08, collection J. & J. \V. Mailliard; incubation one- 
third. Nest composed of dry weeds and weed bark, lined with a few fine rootlets and a little 
horsehair; diameters 4 and Vf. inches, depths 2% and 2. — Joseph Maieliard, San Gero- 
ninio , California. 
The Status of the Hutton Vireo in Southern California. — I have come to the conclusion 
that Vireo huttoni oberholseri does not exist as a race separate from Vireo huttoni huttoni. And 
this, too, after my attempted demonstration to the affirmative conclusion (as presented in The 
Condor VIII, November, 1906, pp. 148, 149)! 
My reversal of opinion is due to the acquisition of more material from sorrthern California, 
the most valuable of which in this connection are birds in fresh fall plumage from Orange County, 
and a number of additional specimens from San Diego County. My former statement that the 
only then available San Diego County example (taken in March) was exceptionally “leaden- 
hued” was perfectly true. Furthermore I have at hand thru the courtesy of Mr. F. Stephens, 
three May examples from Witch Creek, the type locality of oberholseri\ and three more June birds 
(adult) from the Santa Rosa Mountains. These are all quite appreciably paler than June and 
July adults from the vicinity of Monterey, the type locality of Vireo huttoni huttoni. But (and 
here is the crucial test) the September birds from Orange County (just as with those from Eos 
Angeles County, as I previously pointed out), and which are in full, fresh plumage, are of exact- 
ly the same tints thruout as equally unworn birds from Monterey, Palo Alto and the Santa 
Cruz Mountains. (It must, of course, be borne in mind here that there is but the single annual 
molt in this species, in August.) Furthermore (and this clinches the evidence) an adult speci- 
men (No. 2401, U. C. M. V. Z. ) from the Santa Rosa Mountains is even paler than any of the 
Witch Creek birds; yet among the prevailing worn, light-colored feathers of the back are to be 
seen, just appearing, two or three bright green new feathers of the precise tint of the correspond- 
ing feathers in the new-plumaged Monterey birds. 
The deduction from this is that the character of oberholseri , paleness, is adventitious and due 
to the greater rate of fading and abrasion to which the southern California birds are subjected. 
